Chernobyl Radiation Still Reaching Dnipr River

The State Office of the Public Prosecutor of Ukraine has concluded that radiation from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is still reaching the Dnipr River. The Dnipr supplies water to many Ukrainian cities including the capital, Kyiv.

Tatyana Kornyakova, assistant to the public prosecutor, made the remarks after a study determined that radiation, particularly from the Pripyat River, is still migrating into the Dnipr. The sources of river contamination includes places throughout the Chernobyl Zone where radioactive waste and contaminated equipment are buried. Many of these areas are periodically exposed to flooding, exacerbating the situation. Also found during the study were two open trenches containing radioactive waste, located at the partially-buried village Buriakovka.

The report also discussed the absence of fencing around portions of the Chernobyl Zone, which has made it easy for people to remove contaminated equipment from the area. Outside the Zone, these materials are sold as scrap.

The Ministry of Emergency Measures and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been requested to correct these problems. Kornyakova said the current state of affairs represents a threat to the country.